The Dutch Agri-ProFocus members and their partners have started an ambitious programme to support farmer entrepreneurship in Niger. Oxfam Novib, which has dedicated a large fund to this project, is the lead organisation of the Agri-Hub.

The network, locally also known as Programme d’Accompagnement à la Promotion de l’Entrepreneuriat Agricole au Niger (APEA), brings together players from various backgrounds to solve issues through action research in seed systems, onion marketing, livestock and dairy systems and land tenure.

The Agri-ProFocus members explored why it has been so hard for farmers to run their farms in a more entrepreneurial manner. Existing obstacles were assessed, and a common vision defined. This vision emphasises the importance of tackling food security problems through better entrepreneurship of farmers. The network members have agreed to collaborate on practical projects that focus on this crucial connection.

The APEA project was kick-started with the preparation of concrete action plans and the training of key professionals in entrepreneurship. Currently, four pilot programmes are taken on during this first stage:

• Improving the marketing of dairy products and livestock.
• Improving the marketing of onions.
• Creating new systems to produce and distribute seeds.
• Establishing new mechanisms of governance to improve land tenure.

The Nigerien partners were involved at an early stage in bringing all relevant actors in the agricultural sector together. Stakes are high and challenges are plenty, not least due to the rather unstable social and political environment, but all parties are eager to try new approaches to solve persistent problems.

About Niger

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world. In 2010, it ranked 167 out of 169 on the United Nations Human Development Index. That same year, more than half of the country’s population suffered from hunger. The country’s economy is concentrated around subsistence agriculture and some export agriculture, which is clustered in the more fertile southern region. Up to 86% of the Nigerian population depends on agriculture and livestock for their living. Prospects are worrying, given that many of the non-desert regions of the country are threatened by desertification and periodic droughts.